If you have never visited Mallorca, do not miss out on thiswonderful island and take a drive to the northwest coast where theTramuntana area will surely surprise.Declared a Unesco heritage site it is a natural treasure ready todiscover.

Driving up from Palma towards the mountains you pass through the historical village ofValldemossa with its ancient Cistercian monastery and quaint stone-paved streets. Theroad continues towards Deià and the winding route reveals glimpses of the Mediterraneanglistening below, its appearance silky smooth and tantalising. I resist the temptation to stopon the narrow road until arriving at the Son Marroig viewpoint. The vista is stunninglybeautiful. If you have time, visit the house and gardens of the Archduke Luis Salvador whohimself fell in love with Mallorca and dedicated much time to not only creating paths throughthe mountains –which are still in use today- but also writing in depth and with greatknowledge about the local flora and fauna. His work is still used as a point of referencetoday.

Mallorcan Idyll

The road continues alongside a rocky, olive-strewnlandscape until you reach the tiny village of Deià,popular with artists of all genres. Here stands theluxury hotel, Belmond La Residencia, of which so muchhas been written. From the moment I enter thedriveway it feels as though I am entering a privatecountry estate. There is no hint of it being a ʻgrandedameʼ with the usual fanfare that greets arrivals atexclusive properties. Here is a warm, friendly welcomewith an offer to settle in a seat, take in the dramatic view, relax from the journey and enjoy aglass of cava. The luggage, the car, the passport were taken care of while I was unwinding.A great start!

The remainder of my stay did notdisappoint. The hotel fits snugly into thevillage and seems to exist in total harmonywith the locals. Walls are hung withpaintings by an array of local artists, thehotel gallery had a temporary exhibition byanother local artist, and guests areencouraged to hone their creative talentsby booking a painting class or a creativeworkshop with the sculptor who also offersclasses in the art of silver clay, and linocutting. Alternatively, a local potter is alsoon hand for those interested in hand-madepottery. Her plates adorn the tables of ElOlivo, the gastronomic restaurant within

the property. Or you can take a stroll through the grounds with the sculptor in residence whoalso curates the Sculpture Garden. He is a mine of information about the sculptors whoseworks scatter the terrain, mingling in among the lemon, orange, fig and pomegranate trees.My stay coincided with the weekly guided tour of thevillage with an opportunity to meet artists in their studiosgiving an insight into local lore and what people find sospecial about Deià. There is a diversity of personalitiesand styles –but all agree that the special light andMediterranean atmosphere of this tiny village were asource of inspiration for them.Belmond La Residencia has all the facilities you expectof a 5 star hotel, but what makes it special is thediscretion, the understated luxury and the additionalextras: a complimentary boat trip to see the northwestcoastline of the island from the sea; a cooking classwith the Chef, a master class with an artist, a hillsidetrek through the olive groves to see where the olivesgrow that produce their own extra virgin olive oil and, atthe top, led along by the hotelʼs donkeys, a beautifulpicnic where I sampled an array of local products andlearned how the Mallorcans prepare their ʻpa amb oliʼ. Ilearnt about the salt from the east of Mallorca andsampled some that had been flavoured by the hotel

chef; had an olive oil tasting and learnt about the different local olive varieties, and saw theramallet tomato that is grown here and kept hanging from one year to the next so that thereis always a tomato available to rub on that country bread!!! All was washed down with localwine and after the meats, cheeses, pies and tarts, not forgetting the sweet ensaimada –thereturn trip downhill seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. What a discovery for me! I washooked on the island, hooked on the sea and the mountains, and hooked on this beautifulhotel gem that provides comfort, excellent service, top quality facilities and cuisine but in a

simple, informal way thatappealed to my free spirit andmade me feel as though I waspart of a family.

This is a property whose celebrity visitors fills pages, yet it isnot what one expects of a celebrity hideaway as there isabsolutely nothing glitzy about it. But after meeting the staff,experiencing the wonderful warm welcome, excellent service

and sublime cuisine, I began to understand why this appeals to a certain kind of celebrity.Here they pass by unnoticed. They will be treated the same as every other guest and leftalone. On a trip into the village, and a few wines later, I was chatting to some residents andall of them agreed that the hotel formed part of village life and yes, now and then, youwould spot a famous face wandering about the village, but no-one bats an eyelid. They arewelcomed as any other person and left to enjoy village life.

This is a unique hotel property and I am sure much work goes on behind the scenes toguarantee it all works so splendidly well. The staff is wonderful and a major factor in itssuccess and then the location is unbeatable so it ticked all the boxes for me and was a truerevelation. I felt as though I was in the Mediterranean as I had imagined it when readingbooks about this part of the world –thelandscape, the light, the vegetationand the local people. A far cry fromwhat some picture as a touristdestination. Here the slow pace of lifeand the tranquility I breathed inducedenormous peace and relaxation.www.belmond.com/laresidenciaTel: +34 971 639 011